Cover:
Best Child Actor
Thisal Moragoda of "Mouse" fame won Best Child Actor at the third
SAARC Film Festival held in Colombo . He was selected because of his
highly acclaimed performance in the Children's Movie "Mouse'.
The awards ceremony was held recently at the Sri Lanka film
Corporation..The Film Festival is yet another SAARC initiative and bring
to the forefront films from the SAARC countries that have reached
international standards.
Back Cover:
Nesting time
Staff photographer Thilak Perera captured this uncommon sight of a
parrot in Chundikulam biting into the bark of a coconut palm to nest in
a cavity already made by a woodpecker. Are you aware that Chundikulam is
filled with birds and has a bird sanctuary just like Kumana.
Now where do parrots nest?
The simple answer is "In nest boxes." For the most part this is true
for nearly all parrots in captivity but in the wild, parrots exploit a
variety of more interesting sites.
While the sites used by nesting wild parrots do differ, most breed in
some sort of cavity or hollow that hides the nest and provides a measure
of protection against the weather.
Most parrots nest in tree cavities. While pet parrots are renowned
among their owners for their ability to chew wood, most species are
unable to make hollows in trees suitable for nesting. For this reason
most parrots depend on tree cavities formed by other means. Branches
often break off of large trees leaving the hard wood exposed. The
exposed wood then decomposes with the fungus and termites leaving a
natural hole that may be suitable for parrot nesting.
In lowland Peru many holes used by Green-winged Macaws (Ara
chloroptera) are formed in this way when branches break from the
towering Dipterix trees. A few parrots may also be able to use holes
made by woodpeckers. The hard-headed woodpeckers are especially adapted
for pounding out holes in solid wood. After the woodpeckers finish
nesting, parrots may move in to raise a family. If the hole is too small
or needs a little renovation, the parrots may use their chewing ability
to enlarge and customise the hole.
The tall and swaying palms that we romantically associate with the
tropics also do their share to help out the parrots. |